Dark Reunion

The Vampire Diaries #4

by L.J. Smith

The Final Conflict...The Last Deadly Kiss

Elena

Now she rises from the dead to recreate the powerful vampire trio.

Stefan

Summoned by Elena, he keeps a promise to her and fights the most terrifying evil he's ever faced.

Damon

Joining the brother he once called enemy, Damon battles this new horror with strength, cunning, and deadly charm.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal, Fiction, Paranormal Romance

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Smith was born in Villa Park, Orange County, California. In interviews, she has said she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between kindergarten and first grade, “when a teacher praised a horrible poem I’d written”, and began writing in earnest in elementary school. Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1987, followed by teaching credentials in Elementary education and Special education from San Francisco State University.

She taught kindergarten and special education for several years before becoming a full-time writer. Her first book, The Night of the Solstice, was published by MacMillan in 1987, followed by, Heart of Valor in 1990, and the 4-volume Vampire Diaries series in 1991-2. Three trilogies followed: The Secret Circle (1992), The Forbidden Game (1994), and Dark Visions (1995). The first installment of her popular Night World series was published in 1996, followed by eight more over the next two years. In 1998, Smith began a decade-long hiatus from writing, returning in 2008 with a new Web site and a series of new short stories. The Vampire Diaries series was reissued in 2007, followed by re-printings of The Secret Circle trilogy and Night World series in 2008/2009. The Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor was also reissued in 2008. Three new Vampire Diaries installments were published in 2009 and 2010.

Smith lived in the San Francisco Bay area “with one dog, three cats, and about ten thousand books.”

She passed away on March 8th, 2025, after a lengthy illness.

Reviews

[Kevin (Irish Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Once again, just like book 3, this one wasn’t bad! I really enjoyed it again, especially with the introduction to a character, Klaus, that I hear about all the time! Since I’ve never seen the show though I never knew the hype around him, but so far I love him! This one also had a good plot and I really enjoyed the final battle sequence!

I’m reading this series for the first time, so that I can watch the show for the first time. I have a full review of this book on my YouTube Channel and if you’d like to hear more of my in depth thoughts, you can check out the video here: https://youtu.be/Jxy4iUF2Wa4

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read all 13 Vampire Diaries books for a video project and I'm team burn the entire boxset. Check out my thoughts on the series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nLU4l-qJX8o

[Maria Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/Realmente me ha gustado mucho, pero ese final.... En fin, sigo enganchada, y qué enganche!

[Medisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

چهارمین جلد و تا همین جا کافیه.
ومپایر دایریز مجموعه‌ سریالیه که خیلیا باهاش خاطره دارن اما راستش تنها چیزی که من ازش می‌دونستم همین اسم خشک و خالی بود، به خاطر همین وقتی این چندوقت دوستم شروع به دیدن سریالش کرده بود و ازش تعریف می‌کرد مثل همیشه بیخیال فیلم شدم و شروع به خوندن کتاب کردم، هرچند که خیلی زود فهمیدیم که تفاوت‌هاشون بیشتر از شباهتشون بهم دیگه‌ست. بگذریم، می‌دونم اگه نمی‌خوندمش پشیمون می‌شدم ولی به هر حال ارزش خوندن نداشت.

[Halcyon (sadly in hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend of mine, wonderfully terrible that she is, challenged me to pick a random book from this series and get through it with a straight face (she thought it was hilarious, I did not. And what'd you know, I failed).

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. I like the dynamic of the group minus Elena.

2. I think this is Damon's best book. He gets the most screen time and we get to see a touch—just a touch—of sensitivity.

3. Stefan gets a little more ruthless in this book. That's hot. But he's also the most insufferable here, which negates the added hotness.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the finale of the series and it ended with a bang. I pretty much figured out who this other very strong power (different Power from the last book) was from the very beginning. And I made the correct guess. I loved the ending of this series, so much more than the last book. This conclusion redeemed the previous book. I felt it was justifiable and fitting retribution, but I don't want to give it away. This is a well-written series and I highly recommend it to the ages 14 and up. The Twilight series is actually for a more mature audience, especially the last book. The Vampire Diaries doesn't really have too many adult themes. In this book it's called "Dark Reunion," because there is a reunion. I won't tell you who or why they get reunited or even how, but supernatural forces are at work. It's called Vampire Diaries because at least one central character keeps a diary, a journal. It's very popular to keep a diary at a young age, especially young girls. I think I started at age 12. Anyway, the ending was jubilant. This last and final book of the main series was suspenseful and really good. I was very excited and surprised by the ending. There's a werewolf in this series too, like Twilight, but he's not as charming. I recommend this series for those who enjoyed the Twilight series and especially High School students. Very endearing.

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

La autora no modifica su estilo y esta cuarta entrega es tan adictiva como las tres anteriores!

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in high school and really enjoyed it! That's about all I can remember.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so binged 3 books in one day. I'm hoping this reading rush doesn't end too soon because I'm enjoying myself right now.

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the conclusion of this part of the series. I say it that way because it is the end of a series but still a part of a much bigger series so I know there is more. This is the first book not in Elena's POV but Bonnie's. In the first 3 books, Bonnie comes off as shallow and not the brightest. This book though shows her depth, which is nice.

There was some crazy stuff in here though. I love seeing the contrast between the characters compared to the TV series. Really it's like a whole different series, but I like them both for different reasons.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having seen quite a bit of the tv series in the past, I was intrigued to see how the books matched up. This was a bit dated - published in the '90s I think? Just ok, nothing thrilling...

[Heidi Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so... two words... MUCH BETTER! Haha. After reading the last Vampire Diaries book, I wasn't sure that I wanted to continue with this series. It was frustrating me for a few reasons. However, I am VERY happy that I stuck with it and have now read this book. Wow!

First off, Elena is finally showing an admirable side to her. If you have read my reviews on the other books, you know that I am not too fond of her character. This goes for the TV show as well. But, this was much better. She is finally turning into a characher that I can like.

And Stefan, well... what to say about him that hasn't been said already? In this book, it is even more of Stefan being, well... HIMSELF! He has such a big heart and that is what I love about him. It is simply awesome. He is a great character. Love him!

Damon, well... I could write my own book on his character and how much I love him. L.J. Smith does an amazing job at character development with Damon. I have said it before and I will say it again, he is BY FAR one of my favorite characters in any book, Ever! This is because of his personality and how well written the character is. It amazes me, every time!

Bottom line, this book restored my faith in this series. MUCH love to it. Incredible!

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my reviews thus far for The Vampire Diaries, I've neglected to mention how undeniably spooky they can get. Especially if read at night, in the dark. And Dark Reunion only upped the fright factor. I didn’t know what to expect without Elena around full-time, but Bonnie took up the reins expertly, even if she was a little scream-y. As did Matt, who I'm happy to see moving on, and steely Meredith. The Salvatores also filled in nicely (though you can never have enough Damon, in my humble opinion, or his Ferrari).

There were plenty of zigzags to fill the pages, and this novel, more than the first three books, felt complete in plot and mystery on its own. It certainly had the most epic final battle that literally went on for chapters. The end was modestly far-fetched, but it worked well enough within the series’ mythology to just go with; why the heck not? Since Smith is so fearless and willing to mame or kill off characters, it only seems fair to allow her one concession: bringing one very special girl back from the (un)dead.

Overall, another fun read. I’m totally addicted to these characters and their story.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now this is a book that deserves the DNF I'm giving it. I just shouldn't have continued on from the first book, but I had hope it would get better. But this book just started off super bloody confusing. I don't even remember what happened in #3, which doesn't make sense as I read it legit the same day that I started this book (I think). But I just was super lost!
- The characters were still totally unbelievable and I just couldn't deal with any of them
- The relationships in this book were insanely annoying and cringy
- Elena just still thinks she'd owed the world
- The plot moves along much too quickly, with no actual development. Too jerky.
Pleased to finally have this series off my plate. Decided to get rid of the physical books I have of this one, regardless of how much I love the TV show. I hated these books.

[Perla Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Acabaron corriendo uno hacia el otro, y luego cayeron al suelo juntos, abrazados, cada uno aferrándose tan fuerte al otro como era posible. Ninguno de ellos pronuncio una palabra."

Este libro es excelente.

Me gustó mucho el libro, y el final que le da a la saga, es tanto esperado como inesperado en algunos aspectos.
La forma en la que van pasando los acontecimientos me parece buena; y como van ligando lo que pasa en el presente con sucesos pasados me parece un buen detalle.
Me gustó el hecho de que se centraran un poco mas en otros personajes y no tanto en los principales, porque así pudimos conocerlos de forma distinta.

Algo que no me gustó es la actitud de Bonnie hacia Caroline, porque esta última no le había hecho nada a Bonnie y ella la trata mal, y se pasa todo el tiempo diciendo que Caroline no tiene imaginación y que es tonta, como si eso fuera un crimen. Y que automáticamente quisiera ligarse a los dos vampiros mientras se fijaba en Matt, muy mal.

También me hubiera gustado que el libro fuera un poco más largo así hubieran explicado mejor algunas partes, pero fuera de eso me gusto bastante el libro.

Otra cosa que no me gusto fue la visión de Bonnie donde entra Stefan, la hicieron innecesariamente larga, y cuando dice Stefan "—Esta es la Elena verdadera." y sale ella con un resplandor Suena bastante tonto la verdad, cuando leí esa parte simplemente quería que terminara ya.

Buen libro, en la mayor parte del tiempo me encantó. ♥

[Shainlock]

I read the old ones. The classics. Before the show! Before revision and addition. Before anything got so nauseating (imho). These were great back when. So great.

[Elaina McClendon 📚🌸 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving this one three stars because Elena wasn’t in this book. Also, Klaus was in this, so of course I was utterly delighted. These books are trashy and addictive.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay Read

This was an alright read. This is the fourth book of The Vampire Diaries. There are more books in the series but they go under different series names, so this is the final book of the original Vampire Diaries series. In this book, Meredith, Bonnie, Stefan and Damon are the focal points of the story as Elena is gone for most of this book. I liked seeing the four of them work together. Also, I must say I really like Bonnie. She is badass and strong. I think Meredith was smart. The Salvatore brothers are their handsome, mysterious selves. Trying to save Elena with the help of her friends. I thought the story was good, but could have been better. There could be more added to the ending because it felt abrupt to end it like that. I wish we got an insight into how Elena is living after the events of the final chapter. I think the story was boring at times. I will have to read The Vampire Diaries: The Return and see what happens. I am looking forward to seeing what the new series will bring. I still prefer the TV show to the book. Overall, an okay read.

[— nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is apparently the second time i've read this book, but i remembered nothing about it. this series as a whole gets a lot better with each book.

[Malice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Todo iba más o menos, hasta el final. Ahora la protagonista es Bonnie, que hasta el momento me había caído mejor que otros personajes, y que mantiene su papel, pero el final es un conjunto de absurdos hasta decir basta, jajaja.

Lo peor de todo es que ya no planeaba seguir con la serie, pero ahora quiero saber qué sigue, porque ese final no me convence, pero sé que me voy a encontrar con cosas peores, así que debo pensarlo muy bien.

Ya sé, ya sé, que no espere nada más en los siguientes libros, pero la curiosidad puede más.

[Booksofnina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me so happy that Elena is back haha

[Angel M Tayup · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Al fin, chicos, esta fue mi ultima relectura del año pasado, de aquí en adelante el mundo que presenta esta saga es totalmente desconocido para mi. Aun así, este era el libro que menos recordaba con exactitud, por lo cual me ha encantado volver a pasearme una vez mas entre sus paginas.

Contando con el mismo formato principal de un narrador en tercera persona y un total de dieciséis capítulos, esta entrega viene cargada con mas puntos de vistas que sus anteriores, entre ellos los de Matt, Stefan y en ocasiones Meredith y Damon, pero siendo el mas dominantes de ellos el de la pequeña Bonnie.

Iniciando con algunas escenas de sueños pigmentadas de terror, L, J. Smith enfrasca a sus seguidores en la lectura de esta nueva entrega, presentando un misterio cargado de muertes, nuevos enemigos y un juego siniestro que llevara a la pandilla a reunirse de nuevo para enfrentarse a un gran mal que acecha a Fell`s Church.

La trama arranca con fuerza y tras entretejer el misterio con mas peligro hasta ahora en la saga por medio de un juego parecido al gato y el ratón no hace mas que mejorar. Lo que mas me sorprendió de este libro es la manera en la que la autora saca respuestas de rincones que antes parecían superfluos y sin importancia, ademas del desarrollo que les brinda a cada uno de los personajes, sacándolos de su zona de confort mientras en medio de todo ello, se presenta algunas escenas que cierran algunos conflicto y tensiones entre integrantes el grupo principal, así como fortaleciendo otras riñas.

Hay muy poco que decir en cuanto a las ambientaciones, pero la trama va tan de un misterio a otro que es casi imposible reparar en ello, al igual que dejar de leer.

El punto de vista de Bonnie me pareció tan fluido, chistoso e interesante que quisiera que todos los libros siguientes fueran narrados por ella, y es que decirlo Elena parecía ser la que estorbaba en las anteriores entregas. Como tal es la pequeña Bonnie quien mas se desarrolla en este libro, teniendo esa metamorfosis de pollito en el huevo a un personaje de armas tomar. Algunas sospechas sobre el sentido amoroso de Meredith se aclaran mientras que las de Bonnie se vuelven un tanto difusas y me dejaron mordiendo las uñas. Stefan no es alguien que resalte tanto en la trama mas que por su sentido moral, mientras que sin embargo la actitud de Damon me lleva a preguntarme si es realmente tan malo como parece aparentar.

Algunos otros personajes sufren cambios algo previsibles para el lector atento (y es que, ¡venga!, yo me lo venia sospechando desde el primer libro).

El clímax por su parte es algo que en mas de un momento me hizo contener la respiración por lo tensa de la situación y lo desequilibrado de las fuerzas en medio del conflicto. El final es bastante conmovedor y hubiera sido un final perfecto para la saga de no ser por una pequeña laguna sobre el paradero de alguien.

Aun así me encanta que haya mas libros por leer de esta saga, ya que si la evolución de los libros sigue mejorando como hasta ahora, sera algo excelente.

En conclusión, muerte, misterio, amistad y reencuentros son elementos que predominan en esta entrega. El peligro se cierne sobre cada uno delos protagonistas ¿Saldrán indemnes de la lucha o tendrán que hacer mas sacrificios mas que nunca? La respuesta solo podrán encontrarla dentro de estas paginas.

Algunas citas:

· Esa era la ventaja de carecer de imaginación, se dijo Bonnie. Uno no podía imaginarse la cosas terribles que iban a sucederle.

· «Tú, pobre muchacho, tú sigues estando tan enamorado de ella como siempre —pensó Bonnie—. Me pregunto si algo podría hacerte olvidarla.»

· Sólo hay que pensar en lo peor que se pueda imaginar, y eso siempre resulta cierto.

· De no haber sufrido ya tantas sacudidas sucesivas, podría haber salido huyendo entre gritos o haberse dejado llevar por la histeria. Pero tal como estaban las cosas, aquél era simplemente el último paso, el último resbalón al interior de la irrealidad. Aun mundo que no podía ser, pero era.

· En ocasiones pienso que toda la raza humana es malvada, por no hablar de mi especie. Y en ocasiones pienso que hay el número suficiente de personas de ambas razas que son malvadas para que no importe qué le suceda al resto.

· Puedes unirte al bando malvado, al bando ganador. Y nadie puede culparte en realidad, porque si el universo es de ese modo, ¿por qué no deberías ser tú también así?

· Incluso aunque yo supiese que no hay esperanza, seguiría teniendo que intentarlo.

· «Y así es como termina —pensó—. Te arrodillas junto a tu caballero y luego te enfrentas al enemigo.»

· De este modo, así de sencillo, con una palabra, y vas a morir en una noche de verano. Una noche de verano en que la luna y las estrellas brillan y las hogueras arden como las llamas que los druidas usaban para invocar a los muertos.

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even with distractions, I read this book in about 4 hours. It was totally awesome. I was thinking that the ending would be another one that I'd be totally dissatisfied with(*cough cough* "Pearl of the Soul of the World" from the 'Dark Angel Trilogy' *cough cough*), but it's refreshing to see that love can WIN! Here's a spoiler though. I just wonder, is Elena a vampire still or is she human at the end. And did everybody end up seeing her goodies? That's what it seemed like when they kept talking about her being naked. Either way, if you like vampires and want an interesting read, then you absolutely need to pick up this saga.

The imagery L.J Smith uses is totally amazing. I was turned onto her first from reading the Nightworld series, but I find the Vampire Diaries to be more well written. Maybe it's because she has about 1200 pages to dedicate to one story rather than a couple hundred for 10 different scenarios and dozens of characters. I give it 4 stars because there were a few points where I felt that it was dragging and I was upset that we didn't even hear of the vampire brothers again until page 60. Damon was also a great character and I felt that he sort of went by the waist side. I didn't like at all how he just walked away. Not to mention, I think he and Bonnie would have been better together than Bonnie and Matt (thank goodness nothing was technically official with that though). I wanted to see a female personality counter his, one that wasn't Elena. He just didn't get enough attention to me. When you read the cover of the book, you read about Stefan, Damon, and Elena and you don't see as much as you should, I think.

Also, I thought the ending was a little rushed. It was like "Ok, Klaus is gone. Now we get to bring Elena back to life woo hoo." It just wasn't working for me and seems sort of out of the blue. Still, I was so happy for Stefan that I'll let it slide.

This is a depressing saga though. So much sadness and anger and hatred. I mean, the love in it was wonderful, but still, you can't ignore all the dreariness.

Also, I found myself predicting it was Klaus before I even opened the book. Just like by the second book, I was expecting Katherine to be the real bad guy. It was just a feeling I had. I think the first book was my favorite, but I totally loved Damon in the second one. He rocked in the third too. See, the problem is, it's hard to rank them. Also, since I have read them all together, it's hard to split up what happened in what. I just know that this volume was my least favorite, but for me to still give it 4 stars says a LOT because I still couldn't put it down.

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favourite one so far. Its just a coincidence Elena isn't in this one. Its not because she is gone that I like it. I like Elena, but Dark Reunion is the most intense so far. It has the most going on and it is very exciting. Meeting the original Klaus. I tried to picture Joseph Morgan, but it was difficult. This Klaus is very different from the Klaus I am used to. But both are crazy and evil, and that is essential. :P

But these books are not developed as much as they could be. They don't really explain a lot, including character motives. There were several things that people did and I don't know why, which is kinda bugging me. And then at the end, wtf happened? It was kind of a big deal and they didn't explain how it happened at all.

[Janani(ஜனனி)⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG! This made me cry. Stefan's love for Elena was so deep, I guess no one can understand that. But still mystery is that how will Elena falls for Damon?

[Azbaqiyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey...just how the heck did Elena come back to alive?

Did I miss anything??

[Sanara♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could read without dropping it but not interesting either.. Reading this book reminded me again how much better the TV show is compared to the books..

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟

[Lila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little bit of Bonnie's perspective coming into play!

I would like to see things from Meredith's POV as well, because Meredith has always been a bit of a mystery. I do like seeing things the way Bonnie is going through, though. Bonnie has always been shown as innocent, maybe a little too childlike and sometimes even ditzy. I love to see different types of female strength showcased, and she's definitely not typical, being psychic and descendant of druids.

It's interesting to see what the differences between Originals in the book and Originals in the show are. I do like that Klaus is supposedly much older in the book (apparently his first weapon was bronze) and that he ultimately chose to succumb to darkness. He's a more convincing villain when we don't know his pain.

Tyler is a werewolf. I guess when the book originally came out, all the werewolves were kind of slobbering, dirty and smelly creatures that looked half human half wolf, not a human that can transform into a giant wolf. Catherine might not be as big of a [B-word] as it is first assumed. Vicky is timid and unsure about her place in the high school social hierarchy.

The premise here is still very much 'if you look beautiful, you can't ultimately be bad, but if you're ugly or smelly or whatever, you must secretly be evil'. I'm not here for it any more. That's why I loved Katherine as a villain. She was going into cray-cray territory (I know that's not a real word, but I feel like any other would have been too sophisticated for what Katherine turned herself into). She was still beautiful like an angel, and she definitely had moments where you had to wonder if her brain developed properly or if she was still some kind of sociopathic child inside.

But I digress, I want to move on to rating. I had to admit, I was struggling whether to give this book three or our stars. It was close to four, I'm going to lie, but the ending Elena coming back to life really annoyed me. I know, not a popular opinion, but I was kind of hoping the story would move on, and not be 'one step forward, two steps backwards' type of situation.

But I'll let you decide that for yourselves.